


Please Don't Come Back

by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Childhood Trauma, Constangreen can be read as shippy or just friends, It's up to your perception, Past Child Abuse, Post Mr. Parker's Cul-De-Sac, Sadness, Temporary Character Death, Vandal Savage's A+ Parenting, character backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/pseuds/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz
Summary: The return of Damien Darhk, no matter how things ended, serves as a reminder to Gary of who else can come back from Hell. That includes a certain family member he never ever wants to see again.AKA a backstory for Gary Green.
Relationships: John Constantine & Gary Green, John Constantine/Gary Green
Comments: 91
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [harleygirl2648](https://archiveofourown.org/users/harleygirl2648/gifts).



> Two fics in two days?! That's how we do it in quarantine! (Still, stay safe, stay healthy, don't be a dick to other people)
> 
> The Constangreen server came up with this fun little theory months ago during one of our 'what the hell is Gary's origin?' conversations. Ever since then, we've had some fun with it but we did get serious about it a few times. I figured now would be a good time to throw this into the void since we now are on hiatus again. So thanks to that crew for making me laugh and smile and feel pain. 
> 
> The Constangreen can be read as shippy or just friends. Your choice. The italics are for flashbacks. Other than that, enjoy!

From afar, Gary watched Nora dance with her father. Damien Darhk’s return as an Encore had been quite the ordeal for everyone. He had been vicious in Star City and when he was working with the Legion of Doom and Mallus. The man had even tried to kill him with a train. Now, here he was, dancing with his daughter after she’d married the love of her life. He didn’t even try to kill anyone during the ceremony.

Even with the not-Red Wedding, Damien’s return was still putting Gary on edge. It wasn’t just because the sorcerer had tied him up and left him to get run over by a train. It was that if Damien Darhk could return as an Encore, who else would come crawling out of hell? He knew about Rasputin and Kathy Myers and Marie Antoinette and the others, but Damien made it real for him. Because if the person he feared did come back, then the Legends would more than likely find out his dirty little secret and hate him more than they ever had.

Gary swallowed, gripping his glass tightly. He tried to focus on the music instead of his memories.

_“So you’ve raised the bird all on your own, Gareth. Seems like you’ve done a fine job.”_

_Gary beamed at his father’s approval as he gently took the canary from the cage. At the ripe old age of nine, he knew to take his father’s praise whenever he got it. Those moments where Father showed pride in him were to be treasured._

_“Thank you,” he said quietly, stroking Sally’s feathers. The canary looked towards him with a chirp._

_His father ran a finger down the feathers. “Canaries were once birds valued by royalty. Courts bred them in Europe once. Centuries passed, and they became used by common folk.”_

_“They were used by coal miners,” Gary supplied. “A canary could detect bad stuff in the air. If it died, then the miners would know they had to get out. Also, they came from the Canary Islands.”_

_“You’ve been doing your research, Gareth,” Father patted his head. “You have an eye and a memory for important information, my son. That is important, but not all lessons come from books.”_

_Gary held Sally a little closer. He had a bad feeling about this._

_“Some things will outlive their usefulness,” Father continued. “That bird, for example, has done so. I wanted to see how committed you were to figure out how to take care of something on your own without instruction. You’ve achieved the first part of that with raising the canary. Now the bird has no more use.”_

_Gary swallowed as his father guided his smaller hand toward Sally’s neck._

_“Break its neck.”_

_“But it’ll kill Sally!”_

_“I know. You have to be able to take care of things on your own. Now do it.”_

_“No!”_

_“Now, Gareth!” Vandal Savage ordered._

The glass suddenly shattered in his hand. Gary felt his hand sting as the stem and pieces fell to the floor. He had gotten so lost in the memory that he didn’t even realize he had been squeezing the glass tighter and tighter.

“Gary?” Behrad was now looking in his direction with John and Charlie. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Uh, yep,” he nodded quickly. “Just…wasn’t paying attention. I’ll get rid of this.”

He bent down and quickly picked up the pieces of the broken glass. As he did it, he could feel the trio’s eyes on him and reddened. Once the last shard was picked up, Gary bolted towards the kitchen. He tossed the glass in the trash can before running to the bathroom and shutting the door a little too loud. Cringing, he sank to the floor by the sink with quick, shallow breaths as the tears started up.

It had been months since the last time he’d thought about his father. The first fifteen years of his life were spent trying to live up the standards Vandal Savage had put in place. He had wanted a son that was strong and powerful to serve as his right hand. But Gary had been nothing but a failure to him. That was something that had been made clear to him on multiple occasions, including the last time he had seen his father.

Gary had done all he could to move away from his childhood as possible. After he’d run away, he had moved in with an uncle and gotten some therapy. He kept that up for as long as he could afford it, then proceeded to just block out the bad memories and forget all the lessons his father had taught him. All the sparring and beatings and torturing and every other evil thing he’d been forced to do or was subjected to. He had never been able to live up to the standards that his father had set before him, which made him desperate for praise in everything now.

The very thought of Vandal Savage rising from hell like Damien Darhk and coming into his life was starting to send him into a downward spiral. It wasn’t the first time that Gary had gone into one over his father returning, but that was before Neron and Heyworld. While the spirals once lasted a day, the one he’d gone through after Neron had been defeated and they’d all been able to breathe again had lasted for a week. Now, his father returning wasn’t an unrealistic nightmare. It scared him to death, even though he knew Vandal Savage would never try and seek out such a disappointing son.

Pounding came on the bathroom door. “Gary, are you in there?”

His eyes traveled towards the door. There was a smear of blood on the wood where he’d shut the door moments ago. Lifting his hand, Gary saw his palm was bleeding. He hated blood and just looking at it was sending him further into the spiral.

_A hunting knife was pressed into his gloved hand. “You can do this, Gareth.”_

_Gary couldn’t look at his father as he wrapped his hand around the handle and turned around. A sharp breath escaped him as he looked at the wounded buck. They’d gone out together on a hunting trip. Father had referred to it as a rite of passage for him. He had taken care of wounding the animal, but it was Gary’s job to strike the killing blow. This was another moment to prove himself to his father._

_As Gary stepped forward through the crunching leaves, he felt another set of eyes on him. On a hill in the distance, he caught something moving by a tree. He stopped focusing on the wounded buck and focused there instead. A man in a long brown coat was just barely visible. His arm appeared outstretched, like he was holding something towards them._

_Had his father not taught him about the enemies he’d had over his lifetime, Gary would have thought he was just another hunter. But Father had spoken enough about Gareeb enough for him to be recognizable. Rip Hunter, the man who had been trying to kill his father for years, had arrived._

_Gary looked away from him. Whatever he was here to do, he could do it._

_“Remember what I taught you,” his father said behind him, reminding Gary of his presence._

_But the eleven-year-old shook his head. “I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to kill him.”_

_“You’re letting the animal suffer more the longer you delay. Now put it out of its misery.”_

_“No.”_

_“What did you say?”_

_“I said no!” Gary cried, throwing the knife to the side. “I won’t kill him.”_

_“Stop being weak!” his father shouted, striking him across the face._

_Gary sprawled onto the forest floor by the deer from the force of the blow. His cheek burned as his father went and retrieved the knife. For a moment, Gary feared he would be on the other end of it and raised his arm. Instead, he used it to slash the buck’s throat. Blood spattered against his coat and he whimpered._

_“Get up,” his father spat. “We’re going to do this again and again until you kill it yourself.”_

_He shuddered and climbed to his feet. When he looked back to the hill, Gary saw Rip Hunter walking away and out of sight._

“Gary, I’m opening the door!”

Gary tried to protest, but his voice failed him. The door burst open and John entered. The warlock’s confused expression morphed into concern when he got a better look at his apprentice. Behrad was in the doorway, his eyes on the bloody hand. Gary ducked his head. He’d always hoped someone would come after him whenever he went somewhere to cry. Now that it had happened, it was just too awkward and embarrassing.

John sighed. “Gary-”

“Just leave me, okay? It’s fine, I cut myself on the glass.”

John turned to Behrad. “Just head on back. I’ve got him.”

Behrad looked reluctant until John nodded at him, and then he left. Once he was gone, John shut the door and looked at him. “What happened?”

Gary felt his voice wobble when he answered. “Nothing.”

“Gary-”

“’m being stupid, okay? Just leave me alone.”

“Not like this,” John shook his head. “Let me take a look at that hand.”

Gary pulled himself to his feet and showed John the cut on the palm. John moved towards the sink and turned on the tap. He took Gary’s hand and inspected it closely for a moment. Then he wet a towel and started to clean off the blood.

“That’s one of the good towels,” Gary hiccupped.

“Eh,” John shrugged. “We’ll chuck it in the wash. I don’t see any glass, so that’s good news.”

“Yeah, pretty clumsy of me. Typical Gary being stupid. You think I’d know better, right?”

“Well, you did look pretty upset before it happened. I know people cry at weddings, but I don’t think you were crying about marriage.”

“I wasn’t.”

“So what then?” John asked.

“Encores,” Gary admitted as John started digging in the cabinet. “Especially with Damien Darhk coming back.”

“As soon as Charlie and I find the Loom of Fate, we will get that all sorted,” John promised as he ripped open a package of gauze pads. “Can’t believe you got all this thinking you’d need it for me.”

The joking tone didn’t make Gary smile. “Nora’s dad came back. I had forgotten about him. It started making me think that mine would too.”

“Thought your old man was a dentist?”

“It’s actually my uncle,” Gary confessed. “I ran away when I was fifteen and ended up living with him.”

“Didn’t know that.”

“I’ve never told anyone before. I never thought my past could try and catch up to me. My mom died when I was a kid, and then it was me and my dad for years.”

“Huh,” John finished wiping the blood away. “So your real dad is as bad as Damien Darhk? You know these are the worst of the worst that are coming back from hell.”

“I know, John!” Gary snapped harsher than he intended. “He is as bad, maybe even worse, than Damien Darhk! My father was a tyrant and a murderer! And he tried to make me just like him!”

The other man was silent, just taking it all in as he started to wrap Gary’s hand. Gary squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry. I just spent years…trying to forget him and everything he taught me. He had a plan for me, and I never lived up to his expectations. I was useless and a failure. He always made sure I knew that.”

“He was dead wrong about that.”

Gary snorted. “He’s right. Even if I’m not what he wanted me to be, I’m still a failure. And I was a monster.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You couldn’t have already forgotten Neron.”

“No,” John shook his head. “That doesn’t count, because everyone was guilty there. We all made mistakes. But listen to me, Gary, you are not a monster. You are too good to be anything like your father sounds like he was.”

_“I know why you’re here, Gareeb.”_

_Rip Hunter looked up abruptly as he moved away from the door he’d just closed._

_“My father told me all about you. If you’re here to kill him, I don’t know where he is. I ran away when I was fifteen and I haven’t looked back since. And if you’ve come to kill me as revenge against him, just do it. He’s not going to care though.”_

_“I very much am not here to kill you, Agent Green,” Hunter took a seat at the conference table. “Regarding your father, I helped kill the man myself. Permanently.”_

_“Oh,” Gary sank into the chair. He didn’t know how he felt about that. “So why are you here?”_

_“I’m starting an organization within the government. Its purpose is to protect the timeline and keep it on track. The opposite of what your father and my former employers were doing.”_

_“I only heard Father talk about time travel in passing- are you telling me it’s real?”_

_“I am, and I think you’d be an excellent fit for this agency instead of here at the FBI. You’re orderly. Efficient. Incredibly brilliant yet overlooked. But you also have a good heart and stayed good despite everything Vandal Savage tried to make you. That’s important. You are a good man, Gary Green.”_

_Gary smiled a little._

_“So how would you feel about coming to work for the Time Bureau?”_

“You are good, Gary,” John told him.

He exhaled slowly. Hearing someone else call him good made the spiral he’d been on start to slow.

“Thank you,” he whispered, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just…him coming back scares me to death.”

“I can tell,” John finished wrapping his hand. “But if your dad is as bad as you’re telling me, then Astra would have to do a lot of bargaining to get his soul and release him. Darhk definitely had to take some bargaining. She already has enough heavy hitters on the surface. I think we don’t have to worry about your old man.”

“I hope so,” Gary nodded, taking his hand back. “Hey, if Behrad or the other Legends ask, can you maybe not mention it?”

“I won’t. But Gary, who is your dad?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but the two words stuck in his throat. It was impossible to get them out. Because if John knew who he was, then he would look at him differently forever. The Legends would be even worse, especially whoever remained of Rip’s original team.

“It’s fine, G-man,” John patted his shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me now. Just let me know at some point, okay?”

“I will,” Gary promised. John had told him plenty of his secrets. He had to clean about a few of his. “Do you mind if I take a few days off? Just to clear my head?”

“Take all the time you need. Now let’s go rejoin that party and hope Behard lied his ass off.”

John gave him a one-armed hug before leading him out. No one had missed them when they returned.

For once, Gary didn’t mind being invisible.

* * *

Two days later, Gary was in the States standing in front of his uncle’s house. He still remembered coming here when he was a teenager after running away from home, showing up on the doorstep shivering in the middle of a blizzard. Jeff hadn’t even asked what had happened. He had just taken his nephew in and made sure he got through high school. Even when he’d moved out, Jeff had given him the key and told him that it was his home whenever he needed one.

As Gary entered the house, he noticed wet footprints on the hardwood floor after the doormat. Jeff had left for a camping trip yesterday and would be gone the rest of the week. Besides, it hadn’t rained here yesterday. The downpour had only started thirty minutes ago. Someone had made it to the house before him.

Shutting off the hall light, Gary summoned a fireball and began making his way into the living room. It was enough to light his way and could be used offensively if necessary. Whoever had come in was good enough to have picked the lock to get inside. He wanted to hope that they were long gone, but there were no exit prints. For now, he had to assume the worst.

Feet were visible in the light of his fire before a lamp clicked on. When Gary saw who sat in the chair, the flames extinguished as he stared at the sight before him.

Vandal Savage gave him a smile. “Hello, Gareth.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John asks for Ava's help with finding Gary's father. Meanwhile, Gary deals with Vandal Savage and the purpose of his return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off, thank you so much for the feedback from everyone. I didn't expect that people would love it this much and I'm really excited that people were interested in this idea.
> 
> I apologize for the wait for this next chapter. I've been job hunting and working on a bunch of birthday fics. But I finally decided to go ahead and post this now because I can't take sitting on it anymore. I should warn again that there's a lot of abuse that happens or is referred to. Just making that clear.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Two days had gone by since Gary had gone off on his break. So little time, and yet so much had happened. They’d managed to acquire the first piece of the Loom of Fate from William Shakespeare. John had donned a pair of tights and played Romeo to a crowd. Ray and Nora had left the ship and the Legends for good. Whenever his apprentice got back, there was going to be a lot to catch him up on.

“Gideon, is there any way you can call Gary?” John asked as he was preparing to head back home. “He ought to know what’s happening.”

A few moments passed without response. “Gideon?”

“I’m afraid he’s not picking up, Mr. Constantine,” Gideon replied. “You could leave a message for him.”

John sighed, minorly disappointed. “Sure, why not?”

“I’ll record you. Go ahead.”

It seemed a bit stupid to recite something to the AI all by himself. However, he did need to get the message to Gary.

“Hey, Gary. It’s John. We found the first piece of the Loom with Shakespeare and nearly broke history, but we fixed that up. Ray and Nora left though, so that’s a downer. They’ve got their lives now, best leave them to it. I’m fixing to head to the house until the Legends need me again or you come back. I hope you’re doing well, wherever you are. I miss you. Just…let me or someone on the ship know you’re okay, right? Bye.”

“I’ll send it his way, Mr. Constantine.”

“Thanks, love.”

“You’re worried about Gary, huh?” someone asked behind him.

John turned around to see Ava standing at the corner of the doorway. “He’s just taking a few days off. Damien Darhk had him a bit rattled.”

“He never took a sick day from the Bureau as far I can remember,” she remarked. “It’s sweet that you’re checking up on him.”

“I don’t do sweet.”

Ava shrugged but didn’t look convinced. John was about to go, but then looked back at her. Ava had worked with Gary for years at the Bureau. She also had that fascination with serial killers and the like, which had been a benefit to them in their Encore hunt. John hadn’t pressured Gary into telling him who his father was, but that mystery was staring to bug him.

He turned around to face Ava. “Do you still happen to have files on the agents of the Time Bureau?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I need you to find out who Gary’s father is. He’s afraid the old man is going to come back as an Encore.”

“I can take a look,” Ava offered. “I’ll get back to you on it.”

“Thanks. See you around.”

With that, he opened a portal back to the manor and stepped through.

* * *

“Hello, Gareth.”

No matter how much he wished this to be a nightmare, Gary knew he was awake. His worst fear that he’d confessed to John had come to fruition. Vandal Savage, his father, had returned and found him. He was walking the Earth once more. It brought Gary back to his spiral at Ray and Nora’s wedding days ago, how he nearly shut down at the thought of him returning. Now that nightmare had come to exist.

“Y-you,” he finally forced out. “You died.”

“On multiple occasions, but only once for good,” his father rose to his feet. “And I went to Hell for all I’ve done.”

“I heard you were there,” Gary murmured, remembering how sick he’d felt when Ray talked about being imprisoned with his father. “Someone’s set you free though. Why are you back? What are you here for?”

Vandal looked him up and down, inspecting him. “I was given a second chance on Earth. So I decided to go and find my son. It was too easy to do so. I know I taught you better about leaving paper trails, my boy.”

“I haven’t worried about paper trails for nearly a decade.”

“Tsk, tsk, Gareth,” his father tutted. “You’re brighter than-.”

“Why are you really here?” Gary demanded. “Because I can’t think of a single reason for why you would want to see your _failure_ of a son?”

Vandal’s glare zeroed in on him. Gary did his best to hold it, even though he felt like a small child again under it. He was barely holding it together. His hand began to shake, so he clenched it and brought it behind his back. Now was not the time to show weakness. Gary wanted to shudder that he was taking something his father had told him and using it here.

“I was harsh on you when you were a child,” Savage said, taking a step towards him. “Parenting, especially when one is alone, is not easy, and-”

“Sure, because it’s not like you’re immortal and have had children before me.”

“Do not interrupt me again, Gareth.”

Gary fell silent, hating himself for it.

“I made many mistakes during my first time on Earth,” Vandal continued. “But there is a chance to start anew. To weave the threads of time and create a new outcome.”

The choice of words was too obvious for Gary to ignore his father’s words. He was always so deliberate with words. He had once told Gary that words could build empires, raise armies, and sow the seeds of dissent. His father must have known about the Loom of Fate too. Worse, he probably wanted it for himself. John and Charlie were about to get some serious competition.

Gary let out a slow breath. “You’re talking about the Loom of Fate, aren’t you?”

“You’re aware of it,” Vandal gave him a cold smile of approval. “I knew of its existence, and then learned so much more about it in death. Torn to pieces and scattered across the universes by the youngest of the three sisters. But all the pieces are back in one place and spread across time. They are waiting to be found. And they will be.”

“Not by you,” Gary spat out in a moment of bravery that surprised himself and his father.

“Do I have competition, my boy?”

Gary kept his mouth shut. He reminded himself over and over to breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Don’t fall apart. Breathe in, breathe out.

“It’s the Legends, isn’t it?” Vandal grinned wickedly. “I do love a good challenge. I’ll enjoy seeing them again.”

Gary remained silent as his father drew closer. He stared at the patterns on the carpet. 

“I remember Dr. Palmer telling me that you’d been with them when we were in Hell together. Are you still working with them, my boy? Perhaps you can work for me and them? Think of what we could do together. You could find the pieces with the Legends and slip them to me. And I would rebuild the Loom to-”

“No.”

He could feel his father’s displeasure radiating on him. “What did you say?”

“I said no, Father,” Gary repeated, finally meeting his eyes. “I won’t help you. And…and you’re going to leave the Legends alone. Don’t go near them. Any of them.”

Vandal sneered at him. “So you’re giving the orders now? You aren’t very good at it, Gareth. Your voice is unsteady. You are not standing straight. There’s fear in your eyes. It’s hardly convincing.”

Gary swallowed, wishing he could shake away the comments. “You don’t even have to do this!”

“I’m a servant of Fate. I have no choice. If I have the Loom, I can make everything right.”

“I don’t care what you want or say!” snapped Gary. “I am not helping you. I never will!”

That was the most he had ever said to stand up to his father. Gary was glad he hadn’t thrown up yet like the last time.

“You never were well-liked as a child,” Vandal’s voice was soft, dripping with disappointment. “Are things different now that you’re with the Legends? Dr. Palmer didn’t speak very highly of you when he mentioned you to me. Are you as much a nuisance to them as you have been for me?”

Breath in, breathe out. Do not break. Breathe in, breathe out. Do not break. Breathe in, breathe out.

“You’re still as weak as I remember. You grew up to become a coward, didn’t you, Gareth?

It was true, but Gary refused to give and admit he was correct. Ever since Rip had told him his father was dead, Gary had stopped being afraid of him. He was not going back to that life of fear and hiding. His father had invaded the home where Gary had recovered from his influence and could be back at any time to hurt Jeff, or Stacey if she showed up to check on him. He had to be removed now.

“Get…out.”

“What did you say to me?”

“Get out,” Gary repeated. “Or I’ll make you.”

Vandal stared at him before bursting into laughter. The sound made Gary’s stomach twist, but he still raised his hands.

“Oh, you were serious?” his father taunted. “Gareth, what do you think you can do?”

“You will never set foot in this house again,” Gary told him, keeping his voice as steady as possible. “And you will not go near the Legends.”

“Enough of this nonsense!”

A knife went flying towards him. Instinct kicked in and Gary dove out of the way. It also wasn’t the first time that he’d had to dodge a weapon used by his father.

“For the last few years, I could actually live without worrying that you would find me,” he shouted as he rose back up to his feet. “I am not letting you back into my life.”

He began to chant the words of the banishment spell. It wouldn’t send his father back to Hell or keep him from finding the Legends, but he would never ever be able to set foot in this house again. His father looked surprised to see the magic taking hold of him and moving him out. Gary watched him try and fight it, only to fail and be dragged further towards the door.

“You learned magic,” his father chuckled. “But this just banishes me from this property. I’ll still find you again.”

Gary ignored the words and kept on chanting. His father was thrown towards the door but clung onto the frame before the magic could throw him out.

“You are making an enemy, my boy,” Vandal snarled. “I will find those pieces, and the Legends too!”

The spell was almost done. His father’s fingers were slipping.

“You know, the last time we parted ways, you killed me. But you didn’t want just me to die, did you?”

The last words for banishing his father left Gary’s mouth as a scream. Vandal Savage lost his grip on the door and was pulled out onto the street, nearly slamming into a car across the street. Gary watched him climb to his feet, hoping the spell had worked. His father crossed the street, but he couldn’t make it onto the lawn. It was if some invisible barrier was preventing him.

Satisfied his spell had worked, Gary slammed the door shut and locked it. He made his way through the rest of the house, finding all the other possible ways in and sealing them manually or magically. Once all was done, Gary headed back to the living room, removed the knife from where it had lodged in the wall, and sank onto the couch. This house had once been his safe place after running away, somewhere his father would never come. Even though he’d banished him, his uncle’s house now felt tainted by his father’s visit.

_“But you didn’t want just me to die, did you?”_

Gary shut his eyes tightly, trying to banish the memories of the night he had run away. Instead, he tried to think of how he could tell the Legends that Vandal Savage was back from Hell without having to explain his...history.

* * *

Ava stared down at Gary’s file again, making sure she had the right one. Shortly after John talked to her, she’d raided the crate in the cargo bay where she kept all the files on Time Bureau agents that she had salved during the shutdown. When Ava had opened Gary’s, she was surprised to see almost all of it had been blacked out until his work at the FBI prior to being recruited to the Time Bureau. There was only one other file with so much redacted information and that was her own.

There was a suspicious commonality between her and Gary’s files. Rip Hunter’s signature was on a form in both authorizing key information to be redacted during October 2017. Ava found another form dated back a few months further that had her assigned to be working with Gary Green also bearing Rip’s signature. Apparently, he’d deemed it would be beneficial due to the fragility of their pasts. Whatever the hell that meant, it was clear to Ava that her former boss had been hiding more than just her own origins.

“Gideon?” she called out. “You don’t happen to have access to Director Hunter’s Bureau files, would you?”

“While the Time Bureau had me on lockdown, Captain Hunter did upload select files into my systems despite downgrading me to a flight simulator used to train agents.”

The bitterness in her voice did not escape Ava. “But you do have files on agents in the Bureau?”

“Yes, Captain Sharpe. Unfortunately, yours was deleted by Captain Hunter.”

“Of course he did,” Ava muttered. Rip Hunter, still withholding information beyond the grave. “Was any of it redacted?”

“No. All its contents regarding your origins were present and legible.”

Some good news then. “Would you show me the unredacted file for Agent 1066, Gary Green?”

A moment of silence passed before Gideon spoke again. “Mr. Green’s file requires a command code for access.”

“A command code?”

“Yours required one once as well. I’m sorry, Captain Sharpe.”

“Thanks, Gideon.”

Ava sighed and shook her head in confusion as she looked at the file again. What the hell about Gary had made Rip redact the one the Bureau had on file and hide the original behind a command code on the Waverider? John was onto something about the Encore thing, that was for sure. But what Encore was Gary’s father?

She definitely wanted to find that original file now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.......anyone want a third chapter?
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary dreams of his past and wakes to find he's not alone. Ava makes a plan to find out the contents of Gary's file, but is faced with a temptation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy finale day. I'm posting this update before the last episode for the year drops in a few hours. I am excited for it, although it's been a little muted in the last few days with the situation in the US. If anyone is participating in peaceful protests, please be safe. If you can't get to the protests, show your support through petitions and donations or take steps to self-educate. You're never too old to learn.
> 
> Before Tomorrow answered one of my questions (bitchin) if you count Phil laughing as an answer, but I think we're gonna get something about Gary tonight, even if it's a tiny crumb. I'm kinda excited for it.

_Skid._

_Crash._

_Shatter._

_Gareth’s head was spinning when he opened his eyes. He was still processing what had just happened, what he had just done. There was something trickling into his hair and his hand came away with some blood when he put it against his head. Slowly, he turned towards where his father had been sitting in the car. A gasp slipped out of his mouth when he saw the wrong angle of his bloody head. Gareth watched his chest and noticed there was no rise or fall._

_He’d be like that for a while. Gareth realized he had an opening._

_The next thing he knew, he was running away from the car and the bridge, sneakers slapping the pavement. The cold wind bit at his exposed skin and he nearly slipped on ice a few times, but there was not time to stop. Gareth didn’t look back until he finally made it back to the house and up the steps into his room. This had been something he’d been wanting for years and he didn’t have much time. His father was slowly coming back with each passing second. When he fully came back and dragged himself home, there was no way he could be there._

_Grabbing the backpack, Gareth moved quickly to shove in a change of clothes and his toothbrush. He ran to the bathroom and pried open a tile near the floor. Once it was off, he yanked out all the money he’d saved in a bag with a lone movie stub and two comic books. As he stood up, Gareth noticed in the mirror his head was bleeding and grabbed a roll of gauze from the cabinet. Right from the back and not at the front, otherwise Father would be more suspicious._

_His heart beat in his eardrums as Gareth stripped off his jacket and put on a warmer one. The sneakers were traded for boots that he could run in. A pocketknife, a box of matches, and ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ were stuffed in the backpack as well. Finally, he tugged a black hat over his hair and the bleeding wound before running towards the entrance he’d come in. If the bus timetable he’d memorized was correct, then he could catch the ten pm in enough time._

_When he wrenched the door open, Vandal Savage was standing there, face still covered in blood as he stepped inside._

_“Going somewhere, my boy?”_

* * *

Gary flinched as he woke up from the nightmare. His muscles felt frozen beneath the blanket he’d dragged over himself on the couch. Right now, he faced the ceiling, but would he see his father if he turned to the side? A whimper slipped out as Gary forced himself to turn his body to stare at the chair his father had been sitting in the previous night. As he should have expected, the chair was completely empty. No one was there, but somehow it unnerved him even more.

Slowly, Gary sat up and pulled his glassed off to rub his eyes. That nightmare hadn’t tormented him in months. His father always stopped him in the dream, but Gary had made his escape from him that night in reality. He had made it to the bus, gotten out of town, and spent the next week trying to throw his father off his scent. During that time, he’d balanced tending to his injuries from the car accident with finding his uncle. It hadn’t been an easy endeavor, but he did make it to the doorstep a week later.

It had been a decade, or at least since his mother’s death, since Uncle Jeff had last seen him when he opened that door and found his only nephew exhausted, hungry, and half-freezing. Instead of turning him away, Jeff and his partner Stacey had taken him in. They’d taken care of him, helped him change his last name, go to high school, and found someone he could work through his issues with. Both had done so much to give him his life back. He had been able to have it for himself and not his father, even though he still looked over his shoulder for years.

A clatter from the kitchen startled him. There was someone else in the house with him. Snatching up the knife he’d pulled out of the wall the night before, Gary moved over to press himself against the wall. He inched his way across slowly, nearly yelping when he heard the toaster pop. Just before he could get close to the corner, someone stepped out from it and shrieked. A cup of coffee crashed to the wood floor, spilling liquid and scattering a few chunks of pottery.

“Gary!” Aunt Stacey had a hand to her chest. “Oh, I wish you’d made some noise!”

He took a breath to calm down. There was no threat, just his aunt. “I’m sorry about that. Are you okay?”

Stacey nodded. “Aside from my mug, but that’s spilled milk. Or spilled coffee in this case.”

“Good,” he nodded before a chill ran up his spine. “Wait, have you been here all night? Did you hear anything? Did you see anything?”

“No, no, no, I just got back half an hour ago. I was coming back from a small business trip when Jeff phoned me from his campsite. Said you were going to be coming by the house. So I woke up early, drove here, and figured I’d come see my nephew. Glad I did because someone knocked over the mailbox.”

Gary whirled around and moved towards the window. Pulling the curtain aside, he saw Jeff and Stacey’s mailbox on the ground, although it looked more torn off than knocked over. He walked back quickly to his aunt and hugged her. He had only been worried about the house last night, but if his aunt and uncle might be targeted if his father was still lurking in town. Something was going to have to be done to protect them.

“Oof, you’ve missed me too,” he heard Stacey say. “That’s a tight hug there.”

Gary loosened his grip and let her go. “Sorry. I’m just really glad to see you.”

“I am too, sweets. But your foot’s in the coffee.”

Gary stepped back, glancing down at the puddle his foot was in. He’d barely missed piercing his foot on a shard of the mug. That was probably for the best given his hand was still healing up from Ray and Nora’s wedding. He didn’t need to add another injury to the list.

“I’ll clean it up. I was the one who scared you.”

But Stacey waved him away as she started picking up pieces. “I’ll get it. You just go get yourself some coffee.”

“I don’t mind. I can go and grab paper towels.”

“Gary, go get your coffee! Besides, there’s toast that’s getting cold. I’m perfectly fine cleaning this up. When I hit eighty-five, you can start cleaning up after me. Not before!”

Gary listened and headed to the kitchen, smiling as he poured two fresh cups for himself and his aunt. She always pulled the eighty-five card on him whenever something like that happened. It used to be a way to make him calm down when he accidentally messed something up. The first time he’d broken a plate here had made him forgotten that he was safe and wouldn’t get hurt until Stacey had told him he could pick up after her one day when she got too old. She’d taught him different ways of managing the panic and fear when it built up after that.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked once she trudged back into the kitchen and dumped the pieces into the bin. “And don’t say nothing, okay?”

Gary plated the toast and passed her a slice. “You know?”

“You’re a hugger, but that hug was desperate. Not to mention you were making noises in your sleep.”

He dipped his head and reached for a banana. It wasn’t going to do any good to hide that he was upset, but he couldn’t tell her exactly everything that was happening. “I had a dream about my father last night.”

Stacey’s face turned serious. “Go on.”

Gary picked his next words carefully, making sure to avoid the immortality, his father being back from Hell, and the Loom of Fate. “He had found me again. He wanted me to hurt my friends. He took me away from everything I had built for myself. Then he left, and everyone was looking at me like I was him. Everyone I care about seeing him instead of me.”

“Was it just last night you had this?”

“Yeah,” Gary sipped his coffee. “They’ve been on and off for a while though. Sometimes I wake up and wonder if it’s really happened.”

“Hm,” Stacey started nodding. “Well, first off, that dick’s dead and gone. He’s not going to be bother you anymore, Gary.”

He took a giant drink from his mug, not ready to drop that bomb.

“You built your own life after everything you suffered with him and no one can take that away from you. And even if your father was around, he wouldn’t get away with ripping you away from everything. Everyone who cares about you would fight back, and so would you.”

He gave her a half smile at that, but Gary wasn’t sure who else beyond her, his uncle, and maybe John would be willing to fight for him.

“And if anyone thinks of you as anything like your father, they’re mistaken.”

“But what I did-”

“You regretting it is proof that you’re not like him, Gary. It was winter. That road was icy, you were a new driver- fifteen, Gary, you were fifteen! And it was night too. It was a combination of bad odds. I never met your father, but Jeff’s told me enough to know he was a mean old snake who treated you more like a soldier than a son. I don’t care what it took, I’m glad you got out of there.”

She paused and took a deep breath. “All that pain and hurt he put on you could have made anyone give into it. You could have been just like him, but you never did. Instead of being a monster like him, you’re been kind and caring. That’s something I’m proud of. It’s something you should be proud of. And anyone who can’t tell the different from you and your father isn’t worth keeping around.”

Gary smiled. “Thanks, Aunt Stacey.”

“All I did was remind you of you are,” she patted his hand. “You’re still seeing Dr. McConnell?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” Aunt Stacey nodded. “But let’s put a hold on the sad stuff for a while. You told me you were travelling a little with that John fellow? Any new developments on that front?”

* * *

While she’d been falling asleep the night before, Ava had been constructing her plan to unearth the redacted information buried in Gary’s file. By the morning, she had a basis for two plans. The first plan was talking to Behrad and see if he could get through the encryption that Rip had set up to hide the information from her. It meant telling Behrad what John had told her, that Gary feared his father would come back as an Encore. Thankfully, the totem bearer was happy to help her out. He had been worried about Gary since the wedding and wanted to figure out what had sent him running for the bathroom.

The second plan was more of a backup if Behrad couldn’t figure out how to dislodge the information from Gideon. Ava would go back to the day that Gary’s file got redacted by Rip and sneak into the Time Bureau. Once there, she would sneak into Rip’s office and replace the complete file with the redacted one she had in her possession. That way, she could get Gary’s file without having to rush to read the information or breaking time to find out who his father was. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done a StabCast episode on Gary’s father if he really was an Encore.

Ava wasn’t proud of herself for having that thought, but it still lingered.

Thankfully, she had the perfect window of opportunity when she went with Mick to give Lita childhood memories of her father. He didn’t mind her going off for some personal business while he spent time with his daughter when she brought it up. So Ava had put on her old Bureau suit and pin, taken a courier, and programmed the device to the date Rip had signed on the form to redact information from her and Gary’s files.

Ava’s arrival didn’t set off any alarms thankfully. The agents she ran into assumed that she was returning from or awaiting a mission. It was also too easy to fall back into her old stiff attitude she’d had before meeting Sara, so no one picked up that she wasn’t 2017 Ava Sharpe. As she strode down the hallways, she tried to remember what her past self was doing on this day. Best case scenario, she was on a mission. Worst case-

“Come on, Gary!”

Ava whirled towards the sound of her own voice. Her past self was dealing with Gary getting up from the floor and retying one of his shoes. They were just barely down the hall and hadn’t seen her. Noticing the cubicles to her left, Ava ducked into one and yanked her hair out of its bun to hide her face. Then she waited for her and Gary’s past selves to pass by, listening carefully as they walked past.

“So, what do you think?” past Gary was saying.

“Gary, I’m sorry,” past Ava sighed, and present Ava lowered her head a little more, pretending to be reading the redacted file. “My team is already full. Go find someone else.”

“Please! McNeil said yes, but he forgot he’d said yes to Dawson before me. I still need a group for the bowling outing on Friday. I’ll help you win, I promise.”

Past her stopped six feet from where Ava was sitting. She watched the 2017 version of her snort and shake her head. “Gary, I’ve seen your aim. You’re lucky if you even strike a pin.”

“Oh.”

Ava felt guilty just watching it play out. Past Ava seemed to recognize that it had been a little harsh.

“You can be our cheerleader, okay? And Evans hasn’t been feeling well lately. If she calls in sick Friday, you can take her spot.”

Past Gary seemed delighted by that and thanked her profusely before she reminded him that they had to go check out the new brief. Once they had rounded the corner, Ava picked up the redacted file and slipped out of the cubicle in the direction of Rip’s office. Thankfully, he wasn’t inside when she arrived. There was also no telling how long that he would be gone for, so she needed to search quickly. His desk was the first place for her to start. After carefully moving a few papers, Ava finally found the forms on top of Gary’s file and her own.

“Finally,” she muttered, slipping out Gary’s file and replacing it with the redacted one she’d brought.

Her own file was resting there, tempting her. Ava knew enough truth about herself and had accepted it. But what else was there in her file about her origins? Were there details about the other Avas before her? Suddenly, she was regretting not bringing her own redacted file to swap out with the original.

No, she’d come for Gary and John’s request to find out who his father was.

But it was also right there. Maybe she could just take the form for its redaction too. Rip had treated her like she was disposable. She deserved to have a look.

She started to slide it forward before something clicked in front of her. Ava looked up slowly from the desk to see Rip Hunter shutting the office door shut behind him. His other hand lingered near his memory flasher.

“Agent Sharpe,” Rip greeted in a voice that was too calm for her liking. “What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn.
> 
> Should I make a chapter 4?
> 
> Stay safe, everyone. Don't stay silent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behrad looks into Gary's past, Ava confronts Rip, and Gary returns to the Waverider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for being absent on this for a while. I had to take a sort hiatus for real life because a lot of stuff has been happening this month. But I have finished the chapter! Hooray!
> 
> Just fair warning- this does take place during 6x10, so there is a temporary death. But it happens.

Behrad glanced over at his sister as she slept on the little nest of pillows in the parlor. By now, Zari had to be deep into her vision quest. It was still crazy to think about how in another timeline, she’d been a Legend too. Then again, he really did need to re-evaluate his definition of crazy after the past few years he’d spent with the Legends. Maybe she could share some details about her other self when she came out of the slumber.

With Zari occupied, Behrad could get working on his secondary task. Ava had asked him to see if he could get Gideon to pump out some information on Gary’s past. She just didn’t have the same connection he did with the AI. It was actually worth getting stuck in a time loop…almost. But he had visited her in his dreams through her matrix and gotten to know her better since then. It probably wasn’t a good idea to sleep while Zari was out, but he could still talk to her awake.

“Hey, Gideon?” he called, stepping out momentarily to the bridge. “You there?”

“I am, Mr. Tarazi. What you need?”

“I need information on Gary Green, and nothing that’s been forged.”

Gideon paused before speaking again. “Mr. Tarazi, there is a command code to access that information on Gary Green.”

“Please?” Behrad pleaded. “I know you can override it.”

“Mr. Tarazi-”

“I’ll play Scrabble in your matrix with you,” Behrad offered. “Think about it. You, me, all those little tiles. You kicking my ass with words no one has heard of.”

“People have heard of those words,” Gideon huffed. “I…suppose I can grant you a window. But I have to warn you about what you’re going to find. There’s a reason Captain Hunter buried that information.”

Documents started to appear on the console screens in front of them. Behrad chuckled.

“You’re the best, Gideon.”

“I know.”

* * *

“What are you doing here?”

Ava tried not to look too surprised at Rip’s appearance, but she was kicking herself on the inside. If she’d just taken Gary’s file and run instead of debating grabbing her own, then she would have made a clean escape. Now she was trapped in a room with the man who had lied to her about her whole existence. If she didn’t play this right, he would get suspicious and use the memory flasher on her. Everything would be for nothing then.

“Director Hunter,” she nodded, not smiling as she pushed Gary’s real file under her arm. “Director Bennett asked me to get these file updates to be processed.”

Rip looked from his desk to the file under her arm. “Did he now?”

“Yes. I didn’t mean to barge in, but I had no idea when you were coming back.”

Rip nodded. “That’s understandable.”

“Great. So if you don’t mind, I’ll just get going!”

She started to move around to reach the door, but Rip side-stepped to block her path.

“Something that’s not understandable is that I saw you just a minute ago with Agent Green, preparing to go to a mission briefing,” Rip told her. “You can’t portal into offices of directors, so how did you sneak past me?”

“I was just-”

Ava caught the movement of Rip’s hand on the flasher and acted fast. She dropped the file and kicked him backwards, catching him off-guard. He fell against the desk, the memory flasher hitting the floor. Ava ran forward and kicked it away. Rip made a move to fight back, but Ava was ready. She grabbed the arm that was heading for her in a punch and attached a handcuff to his wrist. As he processed that, Ava dragged him over and handcuffed him to one of the stupid wall sconces he had in his office.

Rip looked at his situation with frustration and then back to her. “Who are you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ava Sharpe, or the twelfth version of her that you brought back from the future and programmed full of fake memories.”

The deflation in Rip’s shoulders was satisfying. “You’re from the future.”

“2020,” Ava went over to the door, keeping her eyes on him as she made sure it was locked. “I’ve come back for a little mission regarding a certain file that you redacted. Or were going to redact today.”

“Agent Sharpe-”

“Director,” she corrected, even if she hadn’t held that title in nearly a year. “I deserve some answers today. And I might have never gone to seek them out if I hadn’t decided to do a favor for someone.”

Rip didn’t seem surprised at the title. “Well, congratulations first off. I always had a suspicion this day would come. That you would want answers for your past.”

“I do,” Ava leaned against the back of a chair in his office. “Maybe I’ll get to ask a few. But I’m not here for myself. I can understand why my file was redacted.”

“But you still wanted to steal it and find out everything.”

Ava shook her head. “Not everyone is self-centered. I didn’t come for my file. I came for Gary Green’s.”

Something changed in Rip’s body language. It wasn’t major, but a look of fear entered his eyes briefly and he stiffened. “You’re here about Agent Green?”

“In my present, certain people are rising from Hell to return to Earth,” Ava explained, not exposing too many details. “Rasputin, Genghis Khan, Marie Antoinette, a bunch of others. Gary has this notion that his father could come back too.”

Rip went somewhat pale. “If I were you, Director Sharpe, I would hope that never comes to be.”

“Well, I’m trying to assess how big a threat he’d be if he does come back,” Ava sighed. “But you conveniently erased any details on his file that would be able to help me. So what’s the deal with Gary, Rip? Hell, why did you even hire him in the first place? I’ve had to save his ass half the time.”

A snort escaped her former boss. “You’d be surprised how often I’ve been asked that. He’s more capable than he lets on. His father practically trained him to be a child soldier.”

Ava frowned.

“That’s not why I recruited him. Part of it was…revenge. One last middle finger to his father for everything he did to me- taking his son, not that he cared about Gary anyways.”

“And what was the other part that made you recruit him?”

Rip sighed. “To keep an eye on him in the event he turned out to be just like his father.”

“Like his father?” Ava raised an eyebrow. “How bad is his father?”

“Director Sharpe, just take the file and go. At this point, you might as well take yours too.”

“No!” Ava snapped. “Not until you’ve given me a straight answer. For once in your goddamn life, stop avoiding the truth. Tell me now who Gary’s father is!”

“His name is Vandal Savage.”

The way Rip said the name made it feel like something had crawled down Ava’s spine. Everyone at the Time Bureau knew about Vandal Savage and what he had done. She had made a list of serial killers and all-around awful people who could have been Gary’s father, but Vandal Savage hadn’t been on the list. The name had come up, but she had doubted that he was a possible candidate. Ava looked at the file on the floor and picked it up to check. For once in his life, Rip was not lying.

“You think Gary could be the next Vandal Savage?” she asked, still working to accept it.

“I don’t want to underestimate the possibility,” Rip said. “His father trained him to be a killer. I would be a fool to assume Vandal Savage’s son didn’t have the same potential of evil. Those who are mentored by him go on to aid him in his activities or commit their own atrocities. If Gary ever does turn, then I plan to take him out myself. You should too.”

Ava laughed. “Gary wouldn’t…he wouldn’t.”

She couldn’t say that he wouldn’t turn evil. It hadn’t been a year and she’d completely forgotten. Gary had given into Neron’s influence and worked with him. She and the Legends had a hand in contributing to his fall, treating him like crap and using him as unicorn bait and not paying overtime. But it wasn’t like he had gone Damien Darhk evil, just a henchman really. The way Rip was looking at her…he knew something had happened.

“Go ahead and take his file,” Rip instructed. “Use it to make your own judgement. Take yours as well.”

Ava glanced back at where hers was still sitting on Rip’s desk. “I only brought Gary’s to be replaced. It’s too late to get mine.”

“I suppose you’ll have to leave it then. Maybe it’s for the-”

“Hold on,” Ava held up a finger. “I’m not done. You redact that file but make a copy first. Leave it somewhere on the Waverider. Think of it as way to make it up to the last eleven versions of me that you thought of as disposable.”

Rip looked regretful. “I’m not proud of that and you deserve to know the truth. I’ll leave the file in the room no one goes into. Now will you please let me go?”

Ava picked up his memory flasher from the floor and put into her pocket. Taking Gary’s file and making sure it was the unredacted one, she tossed Rip the key to his handcuffs. He managed to catch it as Ava started to open the door.

“You were a good mentor,” she told him. “But you don’t care about people unless they help you achieve your goals. You did it to me. You did it to the Legends. You probably did it to Gary too. Everyone who can help you gets used, and they leave you for it. And one day, you’ll have nowhere left to run and no one to help you. It’ll be a sad ending, but you brought it upon yourself.”

Rip stared at her as she opened the door and walked out. Ava exhaled as she strode towards the bathroom. She had always wanted to give Rip a piece of her mind for what he’d done to her. Inside the bathroom, she programmed the courier to take her back to Central City and Mick just a few minutes after leaving them. Hopefully, she’d still be able to see her favorite niece.

* * *

Behrad watched Atropos drag the golden thread from his chest. He had heard of people talking about their life flashing before their eyes, but now his life was being pulled out before his eyes. The Fate had her bone knife held back and was ready to swing down. No one was here to save him, but hopefully someone would come for Zari. This was it.

He was going to die without anyone at his side and he was going to die before he could tell Ava what he had found out from Gideon.

Behrad was going to die before he could tell her that Gary’s father was Vandal Savage.

_SNIP_

* * *

Stacey had tried to get him to stay another day, but Gary knew he had been gone long enough. He had to get back to the manor and get back to his magic studies, especially with his father’s return. The Legends were going to have to be notified that Vandal Savage was back at an Encore and after the Loom of Fate as well. He didn’t even have to tell them that the man was his father…yet. But it would better they knew before he found them and let that bomb slip.

After making sure protections were put on the house and its occupants, Gary drove the car that he’d rented back to the dealership. He then planned to portal back onto the Waverider first so he could tell Captain Lance and the crew. Before he did, Gary pulled out his phone. He hadn’t looked at it for days so he could get away from everything, but he’d missed a voicemail from John.

_“Hey, Gary. It’s John,”_ he heard as soon as he pressed play. _“We found the first piece of the Loom…”_

Gary listened the message twice. His heart did sink when he realized that he had missed saying goodbye to Ray and Nora. Hopefully, domestic bliss was treating them well.

_“I miss you. Just…let me or someone on the ship know you’re okay, right? Bye.”_

Both times, Gary smiled at the last words. He had missed John while he was away. Whatever they were was murky and muddled, but he felt there was something there. Then again, he could just be reading into things too much. He probably hadn’t helped things with his own disappearing act. But he did want to see John again.

When he made it onto the Waverider, a chill traveled down his back. Something was off about the ship and he didn’t know what it was. As he started heading in a direction, he passed Zari storming away out of the med bay. Mascara was running down her cheeks, so something was wrong. Gary’s gut twisted fearing the worst.

“Zari, are you-”

“Not now!” she snapped, brushing past him.

Gary watched her go and peeked his head inside the med bay. His heart sank as he saw John lying on one of the beds, eyes closed. Oh no, no, no.

“John?”

John groaned and opened his eyes. “Gary?”

“Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were dead.”

John’s face fell as Gary entered the room. “Starting to wish I was instead.”

Gary shook his head. “No, don’t say that. Not after the last time.”

“You don’t know?” John sat up with a wince. “Gary, how long have you been back?”

“Barely a minute, but I did see Zari crying. Is she okay?”

“Hardly. Her brother’s dead.”

The world stopped for a few seconds as that news sank in. “What?”

“Behrad was on the ship with Zari when- Gary!”

He hadn’t realized he’d been falling until John reached out to grab his arms as his knees hit the floor. Gary could hear him telling him to calm down, but he was hearing his father’s voice swearing to find the Legends. His father had sworn to find the pieces and the Legends. With two of them in the same place, he would have easily taken the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

“How did he get on board?” Gary mumbled.

“He?” John frowned. “No, it was a she. Charlie’s sister, Atropos. She wanted the rings and nearly got them. Charlie and Sara got the rings, but she got away. She almost took me out too if Nate hadn’t found me.”

Gary sighed in relief not only because John was alive, but because it hadn’t been his father who had found the ship and killed Behrad. But he absolutely hated that he hadn’t been there. Behrad was not the one who should be dead right now. If he hadn’t gone off the grid for a few days, he could have been here and helped him, maybe even saved him.

“Strangest thing though,” John muttered. “I swear when I was bleeding out by the creek, someone was standing over me before Nate found me.”

The panic that had gripped Gary earlier returned.

* * *

Lachesis pushed the soul coin to the side when she was finished with the summoning. She started studying one of the other coins she’d recalled earlier while waiting. Even when the flames started to rise up and she heard the screaming, she just kept examining the coin and how useful they could be. When the intended soul finally appeared, Lachesis glanced up at him. As predicted, Vandal Savage was furious.

“What am I doing back here?!” he demanded, striding up to her table. “I was so close to taking out Constantine!”

“I know,” Lachesis told him, setting the coin to the side. She would decide on its usefulness later. “I don’t doubt you could have slaughtered the whole crew.”

“As if your sister wouldn’t have done the same.”

Lachesis narrowed her eyes. “Atropos has restraint, something that you seemed to have forgotten during your duration in Hell.”

The dictator scowled. “I was not known for leaving a job unfinished.”

“Except that wasn’t why I sent you to the surface. I would have called you back sooner, but Atropos required your assistance in finding Clotho. But now that you’ve returned, I’m curious to know how the family reunion went?”

A smirk slid across Vandal’s face. “Gareth refused my offer. He wouldn’t turn on the Legends, but that doesn’t mean they won’t turn on him. It’ll be inevitable, but it can’t hurt to speed things up. Should I make an entrance for them later?”

Lachesis smiled. “You’re getting your touch back. You’ll get your revenge soon enough, but first we need all the rings in one place. Clotho’s doing the dirty work retrieving them all, even if Atropos is collecting earlier than she should. Once she has all the rings, then your son will bring you back.”

“Gareth’s magic is powerful, but how will you convince him to bring me back?”

“Oh, I won’t be doing the convincing,” Lachesis gave a low whistle toward the shelves where she knew the hellhound lurked. “Marchosias will.”

The man across from her took a half step back as a growl came from the darkness. No matter the evil or bravery in a soul, the sound of a hellhound drove a spike into the fear of all. Lachesis watched as Vandal recovered himself and nodded in agreement. Lachesis picked up another coin and examined it. Yes, she would be a good one to bring back.

“You can go now,” she told Vandal. “If you’re still angry I brought you back so soon, there’s plenty of people to take it out on down the street.”

“Until we meet again.”

Lachesis glanced up as he started to open the door. “How much does your son know about what happened to his mother, Vandal?”

“What does that have to do with the plan?” he sneered.

“If you want him to stay after he betrays Clotho and the others, I need to know so as not to let the wrong details slip.”

“I told it him it was pneumonia. He was only six, he didn’t ask questions.”

Lachesis nodded. “I won’t mention the truth then.”

Vandal didn’t say anything else. He just walked out the door and closed it behind her.

Lachesis picked up the next coin in Astra’s stash. Jack the Ripper would be a fine addition to the souls she would bring back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you all feel about a fifth installment?

**Author's Note:**

> *evil laugh*
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this little yarn. If you'd like to give me a kudos or a comment (big or small), it would be greatly appreciated.


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